Beloved Youth Football Coach Shot and Killed in Front of Team: ‘It’s a Traumatizing Situation’

Dave Williams, a youth football coach, was shot and killed on Thursday night, according to police. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital, but he died in transit, according to a press release from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. No one else at the scene was injured.

According to WPLG-TV, Williams’ young team members were present at the time of the shooting and he reportedly told them to run before being shot. As of Friday, the shooters — who are described as a group of several men — had not been located and no motive had been established.

Williams lived in Fort Lauderdale and was the head coach for the Hurricanes, a team in the Florida Youth Football League for kids ages 4 to 14, according to the Sun Sentinel.

“I just heard the shots, ran in that direction and found one of my coaches on the ground, fighting for his life,” Jamaal Gaines, president of the Fort Lauderdale Hurricanes youth football club, told the Sentinel. “It’s shocking. You think you hear fireworks, but you see people grabbing their kids and running.”

“You’re numb and praying, praying for a human being and hoping he can live through this,” Gaines continued. “It’s a traumatizing situation.”

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The Fort Lauderdale Police Department sent out several tweets following the shooting.

“This is an active investigation and the circumstances surrounding this incident are still being determined,” Fort Lauderdale Detective Kevin Dupree said in a statement released Friday afternoon.

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